Chair iron



'De. 26, 1939. D. R. CQLLIER en -IAL, v 2,184,988

CHAIR IRON Filed Nav. 27, .1955

by g/ @my 4f 4? @Ma I .17? L U i f f JLM l IHA "J/ 7 f/ la Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT `OFFii2E CHAIR nto-N sachusetts Application November 27, 1935, serial No. 51,349

11 Claims.

This invention relates to chair irons for tilting chairs and has for an object to provide an iron which will be noiseless, free in action, have long l life, and provide for easy replacement of springs. In order to provide noiselessness and freedom in action, the spring elements are made of deformable material such as rubber, the rubber being so compounded as to resist the effects of air and climatic changes so as to have long life. The spring elements are so housed and the tilting forces are so impressed thereon as to relieve the fulcrum pin from forces other than those due to the weight of the chair yand its occupant, and the spring element mountings are such that proper replacements are rendered easy.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, together with further objects and advantageous constructions, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a chair iron embodying this invention and showing adjacent portions of the chair.

Figures 2 and 3 are detail sections on lines 2-2 and 3 3, respectively, of Figure 1 and to a larger scale.

Figure 4 is a central longitudinal section through the iron with the related parts being arranged in horizontal chair seat position.

Figure 5 is a view similarto Figure 4, but showing parts in chair-tilted'position.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a rocking spring seat lever.

Figure '7 is an exploded perspective of a spring element and its seat plates.

Referring to the drawing, the iron comprises a supporting member l box-shaped in cross section secured tothe upper end of a chair spindle 2, which is shown as formed with screw threads to facilitate raising and lowering the chair. This spindle is threaded into the chair base 3 (see Figure l.) in any suitable or usual manner. The box-shaped member i is shown as formed of two channel-shaped portions 5 and 6, the flanges l of the portion 5 being down-turned yand positioned between the up-turned flanges 8 of the member the two parts being secured together by rivets t. The upper end of the spindle 2 passes through both upper and lower web por tions l@ and l of the parts 5 and 6 and is shown as riveted over as at l2 against the top of the web member Il).

The seat-carrying member comprises a channel-shaped element l5 having a central web I6 and downwardly projecting anges I1, and overlapping the web and each flange is shown an angle spider member 2t to the upper flange 2l of which may be secured the chair seat 22 (see Figure l) in any suitable manner. The angle members 2@ yare shown as secured to the element l5, as by the rivets at 24. pivoted to the spindle-carried member l as on the transverse pin 25. As shown in Figure 3, this pin 25 may have a squared portion 2t adjacent to oneor both ends which nts in a mating opening in the flange il so as to prevent the turning of the pin 25 with respect to the seat-carried member. The overlapping portions of the flanges 'l and 3 may have extended therethrough a bushing il of a suitable bearing metal, this j side anges 34 fitted between the sides or anges r 3l and secured in position therein as by the rivets 35. This lever 3l! is provided with opposed journal openings 35 in its side walls 3l and through these openings 35 the pivot pin 25 also passes.

Thus the lever 38 is pivoted for rocking motion r coaxially with the pivotal connection between the lspindle-carried member l and the seat-' carrying member l5.

The base 32 of the lever Sil is shown as provided with an oiset portion il forming a roundt.

ed projection on its upper face, while the part 33 has a similar offset portion il forming a downward projection on its lower face. These projections ill and M serve as centering means for one end of each of deformable spring blocks l5 of rubber or the like. The web 5 and the web l of the spindle-carried member are formed with corresponding offset portions il to form block centering means oppositely disposed to the elements 4B and 4l.

Each of the blocks is shown as provided with a central perforation 5@ with which these projecting portions dil, il and 4l cooperate, but in order to facilitate the placing and removal of these spring blocks, there is interposed between n! each end of each block and the lever andthe spindle-carried portion, a metal plate or disk such as tl, eachhaving a central offset portion 52 forming a hollow on one side to receive the mating projection from the lever or spindlelThe member l5 is if klei) carried member and a projection on the other face for engagement in the adjacent end of the perforation 50 of the respective block 45.

The spindle-carried member may have an upwardly projecting abutment portion 55 at the forward end of each flange i for engagement with the lower face of the top flange 2l of the spider angle thereabove, thus to determine the limit of forward motion of the chair seat and determining its normal horizontal position and similar stops 56 limit the backward tilting.

Initial compression or loading of the blocks independent of the angular position of the seatcarrying member in order to determine the resistance produced thereby to backward tilting of the chair is determined by an adjustable abutment shown as a screw 65 provided with a hand wheel 6I. This screw is threaded through a portion 63 at the rear end of the lever 30 and shown as formed of a part of the member 33, this screw bearing at its upper end against an upwardly bent portion 52 at the rear end of the seat member I5 and rearwardly of the ends of the flanges I1. It will be noted that the spring blocks are arranged on opposite sides of the pivot axis on the pin,25 and on opposite sides of the lever so that both are compressed together or released together.

It will also be noted that in the normal position of the parts when the seat is horizontal and the tension is removed by adjustment of the screw 60, the confronting faces of the lever and the parts of the spindle-carried member between which the spring blocks are positioned are nonparallel, the narrower portions of the space for the springs being positioned toward the pivot pin 25. This permits easy placing of the spring elements, since they can be freely inserted between their mating seat portions endwise and then pressed in to a sulcient extent to snap the projections 40, 4I and M into position. Preferably the disks or plates 5l are initially lightly secured as by rubber cement to the ends of the spring blocks, so as to present surfaces for engagement with the mating portions of the chair iron which can be easily slid thereover. It will also be noted that when the springs are in their final positions they are substantially entirely housed between the lever and the spindle-carried member, so that the iron presents a trim and pleasing appearance.

As the chair is tilted, as shown in Figure 5, the portion (i2 depresses the`screw 60, which, in turn, rocks the lever 30 and applies the deforming pressure to the spring blocks. Since the lever 3U rocks with the chair seat-carrying member and is adjustably related thereto through the screw E0, this lever acts as an operative connection between the spring seats carried thereby and the chair seat-carrying member, this connection being adjustable by rotation of the screw E0. The weight of the chair seat and its occupant is transmitted from the seat-supporting member I5 through the pin 25 to the spindle-supporting member, the pin Y25 inwardly of the bushings 21 and the lever 35 being entirely free from this service.

The pin 25, also is entirely free from any forces due to compression of the spring blocks, the two blocks so balancing each other in action that the pin is located in the natural rocking axis of the lever 39.

It will also be noted that in such compressed condition the relative angularity between the faces of the lever and the faces of the spindlecarried member between which the blocks ar-e compressed are reversed to that shown in Figure 4, thus tending to increase the holding power of the cooperating parts against the escape of the blocks from their proper positions.

From the foregoing description of an embodiment of this invention, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as dened by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Achair iron having a supporting member, a chair seat-carrying member, a pivotal connection between said members, a lever fulcrumed on said supporting member, a pair of compression spring elements having opposite ends bearing on said lever and said supporting member, said springs bearing on said lever at opposite sides of its fulcrum and means for adjusting the angular relation between said lever and seat-carrying member to cause tilting of said seat-carrying member to rock said lever. y

2. A chair iron having a supporting member, a chair seat-carrying member, a pivotal connection between said members, a lever fulcrumed on said supporting member, a pair of spring elements positioned between and acting on said lever and supporting member, one on each side of said lever fulcrum, said spring elements being positioned on opposite sides of said lever, and means operatively connecting said seat carrying-member and said lever.

3. A chair iron having a supporting member, a chair seat-carrying member, a pivotal connection between said members, a lever fulcrumed on said pivotal connection, a pair of spring elements positioned between and acting on said lever and supporting member, one on each side of said lever fulcrum, said spring elements being positioned one on one side and the other on the opposite side of said lever, and means operatively connecting said seat carrying-member and said lever.

4. A chair iron having a supporting member of box cross section, a chair seat carrying member pivoted to said supporting member, a lever pivoted transversely of and within said supporting member, a pair of spring blocks one positioned on each side of said lever .pivot between said lever and a wall oi said supporting member and on opposite sides of said lever to cause pressure to be applied to both blocks on swinging of said lever in one direction and released on swinging of said lever in the opposite direction, and an adjustable abutment between said lever and seat carrying member determining the initial pressure exerted on said blocks when said chair seatcarrying member is in non-tilted position.

5. A chair iron having a supporting member of box cross section, a chair seat carrying member pivoted to said supporting member, a lever having side walls and a pair of walls in different planes connecting said side walls, said lever being pivoted transversely of and within said supporting member, a pair of spring blocks one positioned on each side of said lever pivot between said lever sidewalls and reacting between said connectk ing walls and walls of said supporting member on opposite sides of said lever to cause pressure to be applied to both blocks on swinging of said exerted on said blockswhen said chair seatcarrying member is in non-tilted position, and means determining said non-tilted position.

6. A chair iron having a supporting member of box cross section, a chair seat carrying member pivoted to said supporting member, a lever pivoted transversely of and within said supporting member, a pair of spring blocks one positioned on each side of said lever pivot between said lever and a wall of said supporting member and on opposite sides of said lever to cause pressure to be vapplied to both blocks on swinging of said lever in one direction and released on swinging of said lever in the opposite direction, and a screw threaded through said lever and bearing on said seat-carrying member determining the initial pressure exerted on said blocks when said chair seat-carrying member is in non-tilted position.

'7. A chair iron having a supporting member having side and upper and lower walls, a chair seat-member pivoted to said supporting member,

f a lever having side Walls pivoted transversely of and within said supporting member and having upper and lower walls on opposite sides of said lever pivot, a compression spring positioned be tween the lower wall of said lever and the upper wall of said supporting member at one rside of said pivot, a compression spring positioned between the upper wall of said lever and the lower wall of said supporting member on the opposite side of said pivot, and operative connections from said lever to said chair-seat member.

8. A chair iron having a supporting member of box cross section, a chair seat carrying member pivoted to said supporting member, a lever pivoted transversely of and within said supporting member, a pair of spring blocks one positioned on each side of said lever pivot between said lever and a wall of said supporting member and on opposite sides of said lever to cause pressure to be applied to both blocks on swinging of said lever in one direction and released on swinging of said lever in the opposite direction, and an adjustable abutment between said lever and seat carrying member determining the initial pressure exerted on said blocks when said chair seatcarrying member is in non-tilted position, said lever and supporting member having opposed spring seat portions non-parallel when said members are in non-tilted position, and said spring blocks having non-parallel end faces to thereby facilitate placing and removing said spring blocks between said seat portions.

9. A chair iron having a supporting member, a chair seat-carrying member, a pivotal connection between `said members, a pair of spring seats carried by one of said members on opposite sides of the pivot of said connection, a pair of spring seats operatively connected to the other of said members opposite to said first mentioned spring seats and disposed on opposite faces of said other member, a pair of spring elements, each spring element being disposed between oppositely positioned spring seats, and means for adjusting said operative connection.

l0. A chair iron having a supporting member, a chair seat-carrying member, a pivotal connection between said members, a pair of spring seat members on opposite sides of the fulcrum of said connection and movable with said chair seatcarrying member, upper and lower spring seats on said sup-porting member disposed opposite to opposite faces of said spring seat members, spring elements between said oppositely disposed spring seats and spring seat members and means for loading said spring elements independently of the angle of said seat-carrying member.

11. A chair iron having a supporting member, a chair seat-carrying member, a pivotal connection between said members, a pair of spring seat members on opposite sides of the fulcrum of said connection, and movabie with said chair seatl carrying member, upper and lower spring seats 

